


Aiba-kun no Koi to Mahou

by kittykaty



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M, Multi, share house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:06:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13156917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittykaty/pseuds/kittykaty
Summary: When Aiba is moving into a shared house he is looking forward to communicate and interact with the other 4 flatmates. However, they are not fond of socializing with each other which frustrates Aiba a lot. He sets out to change this with a little love and some Aiba-magic.





	Aiba-kun no Koi to Mahou

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the aiba_exchange 2016 for darkdropout@LJ. She wished for a story where all members loved Aiba and where Aiba loves everyone and I thought that a Shared House Story would be the best for it.  
> Please enjoy Aiba love!!!

Aiba looked at his empty room. The boxes he had packed over the last weeks had already been loaded into the van.

He felt a mixture of excitement and sadness shooting through his body. This room had been his for over 25 years. He had been living in it ever since he could think and a lot of great memories were connected to that room.

Leaving it meant cutting ties with his old life, having a new start and going on an exciting journey.

Aiba was looking forward to this the most. He had finally found a job in Tokyo and although Chiba wasn't that far away, it would have been a hassle to go back and forth to work.

To reduce living expenses, Aiba had searched for a shared house and he had been lucky enough to find one.

A man called Nino had told him on the phone that he wouldn't need to come for a personal interview. He'd be allowed to live with them as long as he'd pay the rent on the day it was due.

Therefore, Aiba hadn't met his flatmates yet, but he couldn't wait to do so.

He had been living with his family until now and to be honest, reducing costs wasn't the only reason Aiba had been looking for a room in a shared house. He was a bit afraid of living alone. He loved sitting around the kitchen table, having dinner together while chatting about what had happened during the day.

The worst thing about living alone to Aiba was having to spend the evening and the weekends all by himself. In a shared house there would always be someone to chat with. They could eat together and even have a movie night and Aiba hoped to find someone who shared his passion for baseball. Maybe they could go to the park at weekends and play catch.

In any case, Aiba wouldn't have to be alone as there were four other people living in the flat. He was sure he'd befriend them in no time. People do live in shared house because they loved to communicate, right?!

After a last glance at his old room, Aiba closed the door. Humming a happy melody, he walked down the stairs, out of the house towards the waiting van, and towards his new life.

~ ~ ~

After he rang the bell for the third time, Aiba finally heard some shuffling behind the door. It was opened by a boy who couldn't have been older than seventeen and Aiba began to worry if he might now have rang at the wrong door.

Any way, since the boy was waiting for him to speak, Aiba decided to introduce himself.

 

“I'm Aiba Masaki and I am looking for the shared house,” he began and the boy moved a few steps back.

“Welcome then,” he said and gestured Aiba to come in. Confused, Aiba followed the man into the flat.

“I am Nino, by the way,” the boy introduced himself. “And before you ask, I am older than eighteen and legally allowed to live alone.”

Aiba looked at Nino from the side and simply couldn't believe it but it wouldn't make any sense if Nino was lying. Then, Aiba remembered something.

“We talked on the phone.” The man nodded. A few seconds later, they stopped at a green door.

“This is your room. Ever since Toma left, nobody has been in there, so you might want to open a window. Your keys are on the bed.”

With this, Nino turned around and vanished into a room that Aiba assumed to be the living-room.

Aiba would have loved to talk a bit more with Nino, but he was also eager to see his new room and therefore opened the green door.

As Nino had foreseen, Aiba was confronted with the smell of stale air, so he quickly went to open a window.

As his new flat was in the middle of Tokyo, it didn't surprise him to look at a gray wall of another building. However, he noted the pots with dead plants on the window sill and he decided to replace them with new, fresh ones. Like Toma, as Nino had called the guy who had been living there before, Aiba needed something green in this area of concrete and stone.

While the fresh air filled the room, Aiba took a look around. He had specifically searched for a furnished room and everything was indeed as shown in the pictures on the net.

The bed was quite big and would fit two people if they didn't mind touching each other once in a while. The keys to the flat and his room were indeed lying on the bed, as Nino had told him before.

Looking further around, Aiba saw the big wardrobe, the desk, as well as several shelves, but what Aiba had loved most about this room was the gym machine for training your abs. He was working on them because he thought it would make him slightly sexier.

After this short but satisfying inspection of his room, Aiba remembered all the boxes that were waiting downstairs in the car. He had hoped to get some help from his flatmates, but Nino seemed to be busy with something else and the others seemed not to be at home – otherwise they would have come to greet him, right?

Aiba sighed and made his way down to the car and began to bring the boxes into his room. It would probably take him the whole afternoon to get them all up.

~ ~ ~

It was indeed already evening when Aiba finished bringing all the boxes upstairs. The car had been picked up by someone from the car rental, so Aiba didn't need to worry about that anymore.

He had already started to unpack some of the boxes, but quickly became tired of it. Curious if maybe some of his flatmates had come home, Aiba left his room.

However, he still could only find Nino who was sitting in front of the TV, playing a game.

“Hi,” Aiba greeted him when he entered the room, but Nino just huffed too engaged with his game. Aiba, not letting himself get discouraged by Nino's huffs, went on talking.

“Nino, do you have any idea when the others will be coming back from work?”

Since Nino's character in the game died at this very moment, he had time to answer Aiba.

“They're already here,” Nino said. Aiba knitted his eyebrows.

“In that case, where is everybody?” he wanted to know.

“In their rooms,” Nino answered.

Aiba was seriously surprised. It was evening. Shouldn't they be in the kitchen, preparing dinner or eating together at the big table that Aiba had spotted in the kitchen?

Since Aiba wasn't really able to understand why everybody was shutting himself away in his room, he went on inquiring and asked Nino about this matter.

“Sho is usually eating out and if not, he'll only heat things up in the microwave and eats it in his room. Jun does cook but he takes his food to his room as well. Ohno is the only one who eats on the kitchen table since I either eat here or forget about it completely,” Nino informed his flatmate.

Aiba made a mental note to look out for that Ohno. Maybe he could eat with him.

Still, thinking that the behaviour of his flatmates was odd, he wanted to get to know more about them. However, before Aiba could voice another question, a man stormed into the living-room and build himself up in front of Nino.

“I want to watch the news,” he demanded.

“But Sho, I'm in the middle of a level. Just five more minutes and I'll find a place where I can save the game,” Nino started but Sho just looked at him angrily.

“Half of the news will be over in five minutes,” he explained. “You've had the TV for yourself since lunch. According to the plan it's my turn now,” the man went on and pointed at a paper that was hanging next to the TV. Aiba squinted his eyes and could read that it was indeed a plan for using the TV.

“But YOU were the one who made this plan without even asking me if I am fine with it,” Nino complained, still not turning off his game.”

“I didn't think there was a need to ask you since I gave you the TV for most of the time.”

Indeed, Aiba could see Nino's name on the plan quite often. However, the young man was obviously not happy about having to leave his spot in front of the TV now.

“You and your stupid plans,” he shouted before he put his controller aside and left the living-room, leaving it to Sho to change the programs.

The man sat down next to Aiba on the sofa and followed the news (that, of course, had already begun). Since they hadn't been introduced, Aiba thought it would be impolite to just stay silent. Therefore, he turned towards Sho.

“I am Aiba Masaki. I just moved in today. It's nice to meet you,” he began but Sho gestured him with a pretty energetic hand movement to stay silent. Aiba got slightly angry and decided that if Sho wasn't interested in meeting him, he didn't need to keep him company.

Therefore, Aiba made his way to the kitchen where he found Nino rummaging in the fridge. Next to it, Aiba spotted another plan. Apparently, it was a plan on when to use the kitchen.

“Did Sho make this as well?” he asked Nino who finally found a bento (which actually said “Hands off Nino, this is mine”) and was heating it in the microwave.

“Yeah”, Nino replied, sitting down on the table. “He loves making plans. You will find them EVRYWHERE in this flat,” he let Aiba know and stuffed a huge piece of chicken in his mouth.

Aiba decided that he would make sure to find all of them in the evening, making sure to follow them. Sho seemed to get pretty mad if you don't follow the plan and he didn't want Sho to think of him as rude in the first week already.

Then, while watching Nino gobble down his food, Aiba thought of something.

“Ne, Nino, why do you have a plan on when to use the kitchen? Wouldn't it be easier if everybody cooks together?” he asked.

Nino raised his head, looking at Aiba as if he said something really stupid just now. Then, he sighed and put his chopsticks down to look at his new flatmate.

“See, Aiba, I think you have a really wrong idea about how our shared house works. We are not friends or anything and we really don't feel like spending time with each other. We simply live together because it's way cheaper.”

With this said, Nino stood up, threw the rest of his food into the bin and left Aiba alone in the kitchen.

Aiba was shocked. Of course, the rent was lower when you share it. However, isn't the best thing about a shared house that you always have someone to talk to so that you don't feel alone?

Sighing, Aiba began to make dinner for himself. Maybe this was just Nino's view of the whole shared house thing and the others were different. While nodding to himself that this must be it, Aiba saw Sho leaving the living-room.

“Sho-san, I am making dinner right now. Do you want to join me?” Aiba called after him.

“I already had dinner,” Sho informed him without turning around and a second later, he vanished into his room.

Aiba shrugged. It couldn't be helped if he already ate although Sho could just come to the kitchen to have a talk with him. Aiba was the new flatmate after all. He was a bit depressed to receive such little attention in his position.

Nevertheless, he hadn't met Ohno or Jun, the two other flatmates, yet and maybe they'd be a bit more talkative.

~ ~ ~

Yawning, Aiba entered the bathroom. He had checked Sho's plan the evening before and had made sure to get up in time so he could use the bathroom as scheduled.

The bathroom was big with two washing basins, a washing machine, lots of little drawers and a huge mirror. Shampoo and shower gel were lying around everywhere but Aiba didn't mind this mess.

While getting out of his pajamas, his look fell upon a little shelf that was full with cremes and oils, facemasks and conditioners, hair spray and gel. They all looked pretty expensive and Aiba began to ponder whom they'd belong to. Nino didn't gave the impression to be taking that much care of his skin and hair and neither did Sho...

Suddenly, the water in the shower room that was attached to the bathroom began to run and now Aiba saw some movement. Hastily, he checked the plan in the bathroom and the time again. Indeed, it was his time to use the bathroom now. So why was there someone else?

Aiba panicked, even though he wasn't at fault. Sho would stick to his own plan for sure and he had seen Nino sleeping in front of the TV earlier, so it must be either Jun or Ohno. Aiba was sure that standing naked in front of each other wasn't the best way to introduce yourself to your new flatmate.

“Oh no, I forgot the shower gel again,” he suddenly heard a voice coming from the shower room and before Aiba could take any action, the door opened and a man, smaller than Aiba, with brown hair and round cheeks got out of it.

He took the shower gel with the apple smell and finally realized that he wasn't alone. However, instead of yelling at Aiba or trying to hide himself, he simply grinned.

“Good morning, I am Ohno. You must be Aiba, our new flatmate,” he introduced himself, reaching out for Aiba's hand to shake it.

Aiba, who tried hard not to turn red about the sight in front of him and upon the fact that he was naked as well and mumbled his greetings.

“I don't really care about Sho's plans, so I hope you don't mind,” the smaller man went on.

Actually, Aiba did kind of mind but he decided to not tell Ohno. Right now this man was the only one who showed some interest in him and Aiba didn't want to ruin the mood.

“I am sorry if you're in a hurry,” Ohno said. “However, I wouldn't mind sharing the shower room with you.”

Aiba quickly took a step backwards and shook his head. “I am not in a hurry, so please take your time,” he rejected the offer and reached out for his clothes.

“Don't worry, the shower room is big enough and it's actually your time to use it,” Ohno ignored Aiba and pushed him softly into the shower room. “Also, this way we can wash our backs, which makes it much easier.”

Aiba, too polite to run away right now, only nodded. Ohno turned on the water again and let the warm drops run over his body. Aiba closed his eyes and stepped under the shower as well. He could feel the warmth calming him and when Ohno began to scrub his back, he didn't mind much anymore. After all, Ohno had proposed showering together.

~ ~ ~

When Aiba left the bathroom, he hummed a joyful melody. After showering, Ohno had quickly dried his hair and then left before Aiba because he had to rush to work. Still, this man seemed to be a pretty relaxed and nice fellow, so Aiba was looking forward to talk to him some more.

When Aiba entered the kitchen, he found himself in the middle of an ongoing fight. Again, it was Nino who was involved.

“Which part of “Hands off” didn't you get, Nino?” a man with prominent eyebrows and dark, wavy hair shouted. Taking in his shining skin and the perfection of his hairstyling, Aiba assumed that this was the man those expensive cosmetics belonged to.

“I understand it perfectly”, Nino gave back, drawing Aiba's attention towards the quarrel again. “However, I decided to eat it anyway.”

The man with the dark hair looked as if he'd explode any moment and Aiba thought that it was best to interject.

“Calm down, maybe Nino can buy you a new bento?” he said and put his hand on the man's arm. The man turned around, his eyes shooting fire at Aiba who tried hard not to back off.

“Who are you?” the man asked, his voice cold as ice.

“I am Aiba Masaki, your new flatmate,” Aiba quickly introduced himself.

“Then, Aiba Masaki, let me tell you one thing,” the man began and shook Aiba's hand off. “I really don't need any advise from you.”

Then, the man turned around and left the kitchen, stomping towards his room again.

Aiba looked after him, his mouth slightly open. His hopes of having another flatmate to talk to had been crushed in an instant.

Suddenly, Aiba felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, Nino grinned at him.

“You have a pretty bad timing, Aiba-chan. It's best to avoid talking to Jun in the morning. He's the incarnation of “not a morning-person,” Nino explained.

Upon hearing that, Aiba began to raise his hopes again. If Jun wasn't a morning-person, he would be much nicer in the evening. Therefore, Aiba hoped to catch him later and have a nice chat with him.

~ ~ ~

Aiba was sitting at the kitchen table. He was having dinner... Alone!

He was living in this flat together with four other people for two weeks now and since then he had only eaten dinner with Ohno twice, and only because Aiba had ignored Sho's plan and had joined Ohno in the kitchen.

Nino hadn't been lying when he told Aiba that the others (including himself) usually ate in their rooms. Aiba hadn't been able to catch Jun to have a nice chat with him and redeem his first bad impression nor had he been able to talk to Sho who only left his room to watch the news, heat his food in the microwave, or use the bathroom.

Nino was in the living-room in front of the TV most of the time but he had made it very clear that he didn't wish to be disturbed while he was playing.

So, the only flatmate Aiba had contact with was Ohno. Still, they don't really meet at the kitchen table but rather in the shower room as it kind of became a habit to take a shower together in the morning.

Frustrated, Aiba put his chopsticks on the table. It couldn't go on like this as he would never feel comfortable in a flat where nobody talked to each other. He needed to do something against it, preferably quick.

After some minutes of thinking, Aiba decided that he would simply have to make the others warm up to him and realize for themselves that it was nice to have someone to talk to and spend time with.

Aiba already knew whom he'd start with. The idea had begun to form in his head when he had listened to the usual quarrel between Sho and Nino about the TV times. Since Nino had refused to stop his game, Sho had told him to get his own TV. Nino said that he didn't have the money for a new screen as he didn't even had the money for the new Zelda game. However, Aiba had some spare money...

~ ~ ~

“Nino~,” Aiba sang when he entered the living-room where Nino was sitting in front of the TV, playing one of his games.

Of course, he didn't receive any answer but Aiba was used to that already. He sat down on the sofa and began talking about what had happened during his day.

Aiba had done so the past few days. Whenever he would come home, he sat down in the living-room next to the game playing Nino and would talk about anything that came to his mind. Nino never answered or acknowledged that he understood what Aiba was telling him but he hadn't sent him away either which Aiba took as a good sign.

“And after my work had ended I went to the shopping center and bought myself a new game,” Aiba said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Which game?” Nino asked, but didn't turn around.

“The new Zelda game. You know, I really like this series and I played it at home with my brother a lot,” Aiba explained and tried not to grin when Nino paused his game and finally turned around to look at him.

“However, I don't have a console here, so I was wondering if I could use yours. Of course I wouldn't mind you playing the game as well and maybe we could have a game session together once in a while...,” Aiba suggested and the twinkle in Nino's eyes already told him that he had succeeded.

“I was actually thinking of taking a break, so if you're free you could use my console right now,” Nino offered, trying to sound casual while his eyes were glued onto the game Aiba was holding in his hands.

Still trying hard not to show how happy he was about his little victory, Aiba slid down from the sofa and handed Nino the game who immediately exchanged it with the new one.

~ ~ ~

Since that day it had become a habit for Aiba and Nino to play together. Nino, who was working at home (something with software but Aiba never really understood what it was specifically), never touched “their” game alone. He always waited for Aiba to come home and get some rest before they would start playing.

While playing, Aiba had begun telling Nino about his day and he was getting some reactions, sometimes even remarks by now. Aiba was happy and proud that Nino had opened up to him like that.

Also, Aiba made sure that whenever it was Sho's time to use the TV, their game was paused and the program was already on. Usually, Aiba promised Nino dinner, but sometimes they just went to Aiba's room, sat down on the big bed and had a chat.

Aiba was still waiting for Sho to acknowledge his hard work but he never came to thank him or even showed that he had noticed. Aiba was slightly frustrated and a bit angry as well, so he decided to leave Sho be for now. He would come back to him later.

Because he was able to bribe Nino to dinner, Aiba didn't have to eat alone anymore. Still, Aiba's goal was to get all four flatmates to have dinner with him on a regular basis. He had decided that the next one he'd try to bring to their dinner table was Ohno.

Ohno had sometimes joined Nino and Aiba but it was never more than twice a week. Since Aiba and Ohno were meeting more often under the shower in the mornings, Aiba was sure that Ohno didn't hold any specific grudge against him which made it easier to set his plan into action.

Of course, Aiba had noticed the fishing magazines that were in the letter box with Ohno's name on it. Also, this one time where Aiba had been able to peep into Ohno's room, he'd seen several fishing rods between large canvases, some of them still white but some of them with colourful pictures on it. Since Aiba knew his fair share of fishing species as well, he was content that this might be the trigger to get Ohno's interest.

~ ~ ~

It was on a Thursday evening. Aiba had managed to get Nino away from the TV in time and while the two of them were standing in the kitchen, Nino watching Aiba cooking some noodles for them, Ohno entered the kitchen.

He greeted them and began to take out some ingredients for his dinner as well (according to Sho's plan it was actually Jun's time to be in the kitchen, but he never showed up so Aiba had assumed it was okay like that).

Ohno took out some fish and began to cut it. Aiba saw his chance coming.

“I often see you eating fish. Is it your favourite food?”

Ohno shook his head and Aiba immediately panicked, thinking that he might have misunderstood something with Ohno and the fish causing his attempt to get closer to fail.

“I like fish, but I only eat it that much because I catch that many,” Ohno explained and grinned.

Letting out a relieved sigh first, Aiba began to giggle.

“You're a great fisherman then,” he assumed but Ohno shook his head.

“I still have a lot to learn. The thing is rather that I like fishing that much that I go every weekend and even if I don't catch much, there will always be some in the fridge during the week,” Ohno explained.

Finally, Aiba knew why he never saw Ohno over the weekend. He had assumed that Ohno was visiting someone, maybe his family or his girlfriend. He had never thought that Ohno would just catch fish the whole time. However, this was Aiba's chance.

“You go every weekend?”he confirmed and Ohno nodded.

“Can I come with you sometime? My dad, my brother and I were fishing quite a lot when we were younger, so I kind of know how to do it,” Aiba asked and Ohno's eyes began to twinkle.

“Really? I would love to take you with me,” Ohno said. “I didn't know that you liked fishing as well.”

“It's so calming and relaxing,” Aiba joined Ohno's euphoria.

“I will be going this weekend as usual. If you want to accompany me, I'd be happy,” Ohno invited Aiba who began to cheer in his head.

“I want to come with you. I cannot wait until the weekend,” Aiba said excited.

“What about me?” Nino, who had been reallysilent the last few minutes, whined.

“What about you?” Aiba asked, not understanding what his flatmate was referring to.

“I'll be alone with WorkaholicSho and BeautyJun and I will die because it'll be so boring,” Nino explained and Aiba barely managed to stop himself telling Nino that about three weeks ago Nino had been spending weekends all by himself as well.

“Don't worry, Kazu,” Aiba began, using Nino's nickname (as he had been allowed). “I'll be back soon but we can spend the evening together before I'll leave.”

Nino huffed. “I'm not your boyfriend or anything. I was just talking about how I'll die of boredom because the other two never leave their rooms.”

“You can just play a game,” Ohno suggested, trying to be helpful, but also making sure that Nino's whining wouldn't change Aiba's decision. Ohno was really looking forward to go fishing with someone else.

“Ohno is right. And I will watch a movie with you and we'll stay up very late so you can sleep half of the Saturday,” Aiba decided and ignored Nino's grumbling. It didn't sound like a rejection, so Aiba was content about his “date” with Nino.

~ ~ ~

“Popcorn, fluffy blankets and Coca Cola,” Aiba counted and looked contently at the set-up in the living-room. He had waited until Sho had finished with his news before he had begun to decorate the room to his liking, wanting to create a relaxing atmosphere for Nino and him.

Nino had complained when he had sent him to his room but did so nevertheless. Now, Aiba was content with everything and went to fetch Nino.

He found him, sulking on his bed.

“Hey Nino, everything is ready now,” Aiba chirped and sat down next to Nino on the bed.

“Just now you said that you didn't want me in the living-room,” Nino whined.

Aiba smiled because Nino was behaving exactly like his little brother sometimes.

“Because I was preparing the living-room for me and you,” Aiba tried to soothe him but Nino continued to sulk.

“Hmm... it seems that I have to spend the evening with Takeuchi Yuko alone,” Aiba remarked and stood up from the bed.

“Wait!”, Nino jumped up as well. Aiba grinned. “I cannot leave you alone with her.” Then, he marched towards the living-room.

Aiba knew that most people would think of Nino's behaviour as annoying but he thought it was cute. Nino simply liked to be pampered and Aiba was more than willing to do it. It gave him some feeling of being needed and it also meant that he didn't need to be alone anymore.

He followed Nino into the living-room and sat down next to him on the sofa. He started the movie and handed Nino the popcorn while he pulled the blanket over them.

Aiba was really happy. It had been ages since he had watched a movie together with someone and only now Aiba realized how much he had missed it. He really hated to be alone.

~ ~ ~

“Ah~, this kiss is the best,” Aiba sighed. Nino had snuggled against his shoulder during the movie, so Aiba could feel him nodding in agreement.

“Now I feel like kissing, too,” Aiba laughed and he could feel Nino moving away from him. Aiba was waiting for Nino's scolding because he said something quite stupid again, but to his surprise, Nino's face appeared in his field of vision.

“Me too,” Nino simply said and a second later, Aiba could feel Nino's soft lip on his own.

It was a sweet kiss, slow and sensual. Aiba was as surprised about it as happy. He enjoyed Nino's affection and kept him in his arms when his flatmate retreated.

“I liked that,” Aiba said honestly.

“Me too,” Nino replied and snuggled into Aiba's embrace.

Aiba decided that he'd better stay silent and savor Nino's warmth while they watched the last minutes of the movie.

~ ~ ~

“All right, let's go,” Ohno said and grabbed his bags.

Aiba turned around to Nino who was still in his pajamas. Aiba and Nino had stayed up very long and had simply cuddled on the sofa while they had talked. When Aiba has mentioned their kiss, Nino had told him that they could do this once in a while. Aiba, happy about the change of events, had tried to kiss Nino again, but had been scolded that “once in while” was surely not twice a day.

It was already past midnight when both of them left the living-room and went to their rooms. Aiba had told Nino that he should sleep in the next morning but that Nino was there to send him off made Aiba so happy that he had kissed Nino again (who joined him but scolded him afterwards).

Ohno didn't seem to be disturbed by their closeness (he was showering with Aiba after all) but finally wanted to depart, so Aiba reached for his bag as well.

“See you tomorrow, Kazu,” Aiba said and waved his flatmate but Nino just hummed. Aiba knew he was still acting as if he was mad at him for leaving him alone and he actually liked that Nino showed that much affection towards him.

With another air-kiss, Aiba left the flat behind Ohno. They got into Ohno's car who drove them towards the harbour. They were talking about their jobs and hobbies and Aiba learned that Ohno's second hobby was art. He told him that he liked to draw but sometimes he's also creates little figurines from clay. Aiba made Ohno promise to show him some of his work when they got back.

Arriving at the harbour, Ohno parked his car in front of an old fishing boat. Although the mechanics inside might be old, the paint was new and it looked really ready to go. On the front, Aiba spotted some letters and when he got closer he could finally read it.

“Angelica?” Aiba asked astonished and Ohno just grinned. He obviously wanted to keep this a secret and Aiba accepted his wish.

When they got on the ship, Aiba again noticed that it was in perfect shape. It seemed that Ohno was taking good care of 'Angelica', so he felt completely relaxed and safe when Ohno started the engine and their journey began.

A few hours later, Ohno and Aiba had found the perfect spot for fishing and started to cast their rods into the water. While they were waiting for the fish to bite, they sat down on the chairs Ohno had brought from below deck. They sat next to each other and although they were this close, they weren't talking much.

Aiba, who usually didn't like being silent around each other that much, somehow relaxed and began to enjoy the calm aura that was surrounding Ohno that was slowly wrapped around him as well.

~ ~ ~

It was already dark when the two decided to call it a day and pulled their rods in. They had caught several fish that they had already prepared for taking home. Ohno's and Aiba's first fish though became their dinner that they prepared in the really tiny kitchen under deck.

“I really love to have dinner like this. I wish, I could have this every day. It calms me so much,” Ohno said and looked at the clear, starry sky. “The soft light of the moon as well as the stars shining like diamonds is so beautiful that I sometimes wish it would never become day again.”

Aiba looked up as well, taking in the breathtaking view in as well. “It's really beautiful,” he agreed. “However, I think we need the change of day and night to appreciate the beauty of each of them,” he then said thoughtfully which earned him a friendly look from Ohno.

“I think you're right,” Ohno said after a while. “Anyway, let's go to bed.”

Aiba followed Ohno under deck. He had taken a look at the bedroom before and had seen a bunk bed. They looked comfortable and Aiba finally felt that he was indeed very tired.

“Let's take a shower first,” Ohno suddenly said and grinned cutely at Aiba who laughed.

“Alright,” Aiba agreed and began to take off his clothes.

The shower in the boat was small and Aiba and Ohno were just able to fit inside. There wasn't much space left so they were touching each other more than usually.

Aiba had always thought that Ohno had really pretty fingers but as they were roaming over his body (to put soap on him, of course), he also noticed that they were incredibly soft (and teasing). Pressed against each other due to the small cabin Aiba soon felt something else pressing against him and decided to finally join in.

Ohno's long fingers were working magic on Aiba but according to the sounds Ohno was making, Aiba wasn't bad either with his hand work.

Both of them left the shower really satisfied and after wishing each other a good night they quickly feel asleep in the indeed very soft and comfortable beds.

~ ~ ~

“Finally!” Nino cheered as soon as he opened the door for Aiba and Ohno. “It was sooooo boring without you here!” he went on and finally let the two other men enter.

“We had a really nice weekend, right Oh-chan?” Aiba said and turned around to his flatmate. Ohno's agreement got lost in the indignant shout of Nino over the casualty with which Aiba was addressing the older man.

“You didn't miss me then?” Nino asked and his pout had appeared again.

“I did, terribly,” Aiba laughed and scooped Nino into his arms.

“Good, then,” Nino mumbled and pushed Aiba away. Then, he turned around and vanished into his room.

“He's like a cat,” Ohno remarked and Aiba nodded in agreement.

“That also means that he likes fish,” Aiba concluded then. “Let's have some of our caught ones for dinner.”

Ohno agreed and after they had stored their catch in the fridge, they went to their rooms to unpack their bags. However, as soon as Aiba heard Ohno's door closing behind him, he hurried over to Nino's room and entered without knocking.

Just when Nino was about to complain, Aiba waved him off.

“Kazu, I need your help, quick!”

“Can you finally tell me why we have to do this?” Nino asked and handed Aiba another star made out of paper.

Aiba was standing on a chair in the kitchen and pasted the stars all over the ceiling. He had made Nino cut out stars with him and after they were done, he had checked if Ohno was still in his room (which he was) before they had moved into the kitchen.

“Because Oh-chan wants to have dinner under a starry sky every day,” Aiba explained and motioned Nino to hand him another star. Nino did as he was told and decided to be satisfied with Aiba's answer for the moment.

“Isn't it lovely,” Aiba shouted when they were finally done, both looking at the ceiling. Nino shrugged. There was something more important on his thoughts.

“When do we start preparing dinner? I am hungry,” he asked making Aiba chuckle.

“We can start now. We'll have some of the fish we caught,” Aiba explained and made his way to the fridge, taking out one of the boxes.

Ohno joined them halfway and soon the dinner was finished. When they sat down on the kitchen table, their plates in front of them, Aiba began to fidget on his chair. Ohno hadn't taken a look at the ceiling until now but now it was the right time. However, before Aiba could say something, Nino began to speak.

“Aiba prepared something for you on the ceiling. You better look or he'll fall off his chair,” he said with his mouth full.

Ohno lifted his gaze and Aiba watched him as a wide grin appeared on his face. When Ohno looked at Aiba again, his eyes were warm and a tiny bit wet.

“This is so wonderful, Aiba-chan, really. I don't even know what to say but I am really happy right now. I think, I will be able to relax perfectly during dinner from now on,” Ohno said, his voice trembling with emotions.

“It makes me happy to hear that,” Aiba gave back and smiled at Ohno. They continued eating their meal and Aiba and Ohno told Nino about their fishing trip.

Suddenly, Aiba saw someone passing by the kitchen. It was Jun and it seemed that he wanted to leave. However, Aiba had just noticed something about his flatmate and therefore jumped up from the table to rush towards him.

“Jun!” Aiba called out for him and the man turned around. “Have you been to the hairdresser?”

Jun's eyes widened before the usual annoyed look that he always showed when Aiba talked to him appeared in his face.

“Finally someone noticed,” he snapped and grabbed his coat.

“It really suits you. I love the way you comb your hair back,” Aiba went on not letting himself get discouraged by Jun's unfriendly words.

“Thanks,” his flatmate said and got into his coat. However, his expression had softened a bit.

“Oh!”, Aiba suddenly exclaimed and got closer to Jun who took a step backwards. “Is this a coat from 'Mic and Pen'?” he asked and reached out for it.

“It is,” Jun confirmed, allowing Aiba to touch the soft fur on the hood.

“I love this brand,” Aiba went on and walked around Jun to take a look at him from every angle. “I always order my clothes via the internet but I heard that they have a store in Tokyo. As it's getting colder each day I will have to buy a new coat because my old one got dirty and I cannot get it out. However, I haven't been able to find the store,” Aiba told Jun who had been trying to catch up with Aiba's flow of words. “Do you know where it is?”

Jun nodded. “It's in Shibuya.”

“Can you show me how to get there?” Aiba asked, his eyes sparkling.

“Why don't you just use Google Maps,” Jun gave back and turned around, ready to leave.

“I am not good with such things. Please, Jun, I really want to get a coat from 'Mic and Pen' as well,” Aiba begged, holding onto Jun's arm. Jun tried to shake him off but Aiba was determined not to let him go.

“I am free on Thursday, what about you?” Aiba asked.

“I am free too, but I don't...,” Jun answered, trying to tell Aiba that he would not spend his day with him hunting for a shop but he got interrupted.

 

“That's perfect! Let's go then,” Aiba cheered, finally letting go of Jun's arm.

“I just wanted to tell you that I won't...” Jun began again, but Aiba didn't let him finish.

“You're really nice, Jun. I am so happy that you're coming with me. Thanks so much!” Aiba said and hugged Jun tightly, making the other one yelp in surprise. “Now go and have a nice evening!” Aiba chirped and turned around to go back to the kitchen, not before he waved to Jun whose mouth was hanging slightly open.

~ ~ ~

“Here it is,” Jun said and motioned towards the store.

“Oh~!,” Aiba exclaimed and his eyes became round.

“Then, I'll excuse myself,” Jun murmured and was about to turn around when Aiba grabbed him at his arm.

“You cannot go now. I need someone to help me decided which coat to buy. They always have so many great ones and I might end up with none of them because I won' know which one to take,” Aiba explained, making sure to not let go of Jun.

The other man rolled his eyes. Aiba knew that Jun had intended to leave him as soon as possible after Aiba had more or less forced Jun to come with him. However, this was his chance to get closer to Jun whom he hadn't exchange more than two words (“Good morning” or “Good evening”) with ever since he had moved into the flat.

“I am not your personal stylist, you know,” Jun shot back but didn't show any intention to run away so Aiba let go of him.

“I know. Just this once, please. Since you already came this way. Maybe you can find something for you as well,” Aiba suggested and Jun sighed deeply but followed Aiba into the store.

Aiba soon found out that Jun was the best personal stylist one could have. He would say clearly which clothes were suited for Aiba and which were not. He saved Aiba from buying a baggy coat that, in Jun's words, made him look like a boy in his dad's clothes.

In the end, Aiba decided on a waisted coat that didn't make him look too lanky as most coats would. Jun had found it in the backmost corner of the shop and Aiba was really happy with his new coat.

“Let me treat you for lunch,” Aiba offered and to his surprise Jun immediately accepted.

They decided for a more stylish looking restaurant and while they were waiting for their food, Jun suddenly started talking.

“Lately, you, Ohno and Nino have been cooking quite a lot,” he remarked and began to play with his napkin.

Aiba smiled. “Because Oh-chan catches so many fish, we kind of have to eat it. However, we are running out of ideas on how to prepare the fish and Nino already complained that he doesn't want to eat grilled or cooked fish anymore,” he told his opposite.

“Have you tried filling the fish and putting it in the oven?” Jun asked.

“I have never heard of it. What do you fill it with?” Aiba wanted to know.

“Tomatoes and onions are good. You can add any herb or spices you like,” Jun began to explain and suddenly his eyes were sparkling.

“It sounds complicated. Would you mind showing me how to do it?” Aiba asked and although Jun tried to stay cool, Aiba could see the happy smile that flashed over his face.

“Sure,” Jun agreed and Aiba secretly pumped his fist. If Jun was going to cook for them, he'd surely eat together with them as well and therefore there would be three of his flatmates on the dinner table already.

~ ~ ~

“We're back,” Aiba shouted as soon as he entered their flat.

“Took you long enough,” Nino murmured from the living-room.

It was indeed already late because after lunch, Jun and Aiba had continued to shop, each of them showing the other one their favourite shops. They quickly found out that their taste concerning clothes and accessorize were quite alike which resulted in a monster shopping tour that both of them ended with tons of bags that they had just dropped in the hallway.

“Shopping with Jun is a lot of fun,” Aiba explained to Nino who had paused his game to let himself being cuddled by Aiba. “Aaaand...,” Aiba began making Nino raise his eyebrows. “He also told me about a great recipe for fish.”

“Perfect! Jun, you are my saviour. I simply cannot eat this smoked and grilled fish anymore,” Nino said and nodded thankfully towards Jun on whose face this tiny happy smile appeared again.

“How about trying the new recipe today?” Aiba asked enthusiastically but Jun quickly jumped in.

“I didn't say I was going to do it today. We were just shopping the whole day. I simply want to relax now,” he tried to talk logic into Aiba. However, this was completely useless as just the thought of cooking together with Jun this evening had filled Aiba's energy level to the max.

“Please, don't you want Nino to finally have a nice dinner as well?” Aiba asked and looked at Jun with pleading eyes.

“Fine,” he mumbled. “But let me bring the bags into my room first.”

When Jun was gone, Nino looked at Aiba, a smirk on his face.

“He is pretty helpless against your pleading,” he remarked and made his way to the kitchen. Aiba, knowing that Nino was completely right, decided to keep this tactic for emergencies though.

~ ~ ~

Jun's cooking had been a complete success. Nino had been really happy because, finally, he was having something else, Ohno, who had joined them halfway through the cooking, had been very interested in Jun's cooking abilities and Aiba had simply been in heaven having three of his flatmates in the same room with himself.

To his utmost delight, Jun continued to show up in the kitchen to help them out with cooking or to simply hang out with them. It had become a little rite for them to have dinner together and Aiba was bursting with happiness. However, Sho was still missing and Aiba had no idea how to get him onto the table.

All he knew about Sho was that he loved his work (he was a newscaster) and was therefore always busy reading newspapers and in the internet to prepare himself for his job. Also, Sho loved to make plans but Aiba had been aware of that since his first day.

One evening, when Aiba was already lying in his bed and as thinking again about how to get Sho to their dinner table, he suddenly heard the rain drumming against his window.

He loved this sound. Although it was quite loud, is calmed him down as there was always the same rhythm behind. However, a few seconds later, Aiba heard something that didn't calm him down in any way, rather it made him sit up straight in his bed.

The thunder, that had just rumbled through the night caused Aiba to start trembling. Ever since he was a kid he had hated thunderstorms. He had always climbed into his parents bed and later into his brother's bed.

Therefore, Aiba's first intent was to run over to Nino's room and snuggle onto him. However, Aiba remembered that Nino was visiting his family this weekend, so this was not an option. Ohno, who surely wouldn't have minded Aiba staying in his bed either was on a fishing trip. Aiba hoped that he was fine and that the thunderstorm wasn't hitting him directly. Sho was somewhere because of work and Aiba doubted that he would have let him in.

This only left Jun. It was true that during the last few weeks Jun had warmed up to Aiba and the other two, but Aiba wasn't sure if this was enough to let him stay in his bed.

The next thunder, however, made Aiba jump out of bed. He could at least ask Jun, right?

Aiba grabbed his blanket and left his room. Jun's was right next to his, so he only had to walk a few steps. However, when he stood in front of Jun's room, Aiba's doubts became quite loud in his head. It was probably a bad idea and it might ruin the good relationship he had established with Jun.

Another lightning stroke and the following thunder rolled through the flat and Aiba pressed himself against the wall. He wasn't sure how he'd survive the night but before he could think about this any further, the door of the bathroom opened and Jun went out.

Surprised, he looked at the pale and shaking Aiba.

“Aiba-chan, what are you doing here?”

Unable to answer Aiba just shook his head.

“You will catch a cold if you stand in the cold hallway in your pajamas,” Jun began to worry and closed the gap between himself and his flatmate.

When the next thunder rumbled, Aiba wrapped his arms around Jun and buried his face onto Jun's shoulder.

“What's up with you?” Jun asked, worried, showing no intention to push Aiba away.

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Aiba asked, his voice trembling as well as his whole body.

Taking in the state Aiba was in, Jun concluded that Aiba was terribly scared of the thunderstorm and having a warm heart, he couldn't push him away.

“Of course,” Jun simply answered and opened the door to his room. Aiba had never been inside but right now he didn't have the time to take in the mixture of black and white furniture. He quickly shuffled to Jun's bed and snuggled under the blanket.

Jun followed him, carrying Aiba's blanket that he had dropped when he had wrapped his arms around Jun.

Quickly, Jun joined Aiba in the bed and when another thunder caused Aiba to yelp, Jun took him into his arms.

“It's okay, babe, I am here now,” Jun began to soothe Aiba and rubbed his back. He continued whispering calming words into Aiba's ear until he could hear the other one's deep breath. Not letting go of Aiba, Jun allowed himself to fall asleep as well.

~ ~ ~

After that night with Jun, Aiba had found his way into his flatmates bed again and again. Not because the weather was always bad in Tokyo but because Aiba liked to snuggle up against Jun under his incredibly soft blankets (how did he do that? They were using the same washing machine after all...). Jun didn't complain at all so Aiba simply enjoyed these nights to the fullest.

Dinner together had also become a big part of Nino's, Ohno's and Jun's life. Whenever they missed it due to work or other circumstances, they would complain loudly about it to the others. Aiba was happy about the development, but he still wanted Sho at the table as well.

He finally had an idea when Nino complained once more about Sho's plans that were hanging all over the flat being more or less decoration as only two fifths of the residents were following them. Aiba realized that he had to beat Sho at his own game.

A few days after the initial idea, Aiba had thought about his plan thoroughly and was ready to carry it out.

He was standing in front of Sho's door. Gathering all his courage, he knocked.

“Yes?”

“Sho-san, I really need your help,” Aiba began.

“I don't have time for that,” Sho replied but this was exactly the answer Aiba had been waiting for.

“That's exactly my problem as well – the time,” Aiba answered, hoping that their mutual problem would convince Sho to open the door.

“What do you mean?” Still, no sounds of movement came from behind the door.

“You know, I am having a hard time planning my time accordingly which end up with me being stressed. I was wondering, since you are so good in making plans – you make lots of them for the flat anyway – maybe you could teach me how to do it?” Aiba explained and finally, he heard Sho walking towards his door.

Sho took ten minutes off his busy schedule to explain Aiba the basics of planning your day exactly to the minute. In the end, however, Aiba got Sho's schedule for the week as reference to make one for himself.

Of course, Aiba was far away from planning his day like that. He rather took the things as they came, but he really needed Sho's plan.

~ ~ ~

It was Friday evening and Nino, Ohno, Jun and Aiba were in the kitchen. The three had managed to convince Jun to make his special lasagne for them. While they were waiting for it to finish, they were chatting about their plans for the weekend.

Ohno was praising Aiba's starry sky again (he would do so at least once a week) and if he knew that Aiba was planning to put some lights on the ceiling as well, he might stay for a weekend once in a while.

Still, while they were chatting, Aiba's eyes wandered towards the clock again and again. He really hoped that his plan had worked.

After a while, Jun decided that it was time to take the lasagne out. He began cutting it into pieces and while Aiba was busy filling the salad he and Nino had made into little bowls, someone appeared in the door.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Aiba twirled around and saw Sho standing in the doorway, looking around a bit unsure.

“Of course we mind as you only appear AFTER...,” Nino began but Aiba quickly cut him off.

“Sure, just take a seat,” he offered and shushed Nino who was about to complain. Aiba took another plate out of the cupboard and placed it in front of Sho.

“Jun's lasagne is the best,” Aiba said and gave each of them the salad-filled bowl. “Is it finished?” he asked Jun who was still cutting it.

Jun didn't answer so Aiba went over to him. However, the lasagne looked like a total battlefield as Jun had exaggerated cutting it for quite a bit.

“Jun?” Aiba simply asked and finally realized that his flatmate had pretty red ears.

“Jun has a crush on Sho,” Nino finally provided Aiba with an explanation.

“This is not true,” Jun shot back, his voice a few notes higher than usual. Aiba gulped. This might explain why he never had seen Jun or Sho together in any room. He hoped that this wouldn't endanger his mission.

However, the dinner became a full success when Sho started to praise Jun's lasagne which made Jun smile like the sun itself. Also, Nino and Ohno quickly found some topic to talk about with Sho and therefore it never became silent.

Aiba, however, was silent. He enjoyed the chatter and laughter around him and felt like he might explode from happiness any time soon. Still, he needed to make sure Sho would show up on a regular basis but for now Aiba was more than content.

After they finished Jun's (really tasty) lasagne, Sho asked if he should help with the dishes and although Nino was about to tell him that this was the least he could do after he had just eaten half of the lasagne, Aiba waved it off and told Sho to go back to work.

Sho thanked Jun for the dinner who turned red again and excused himself.

When he was out of sight, Nino finally started to complain but neither Aiba nor Jun listened to him and Ohno was looking as if he was sleeping.

When Aiba began to put the plates in the dishwasher, he saw that Sho had forgotten his cell phone. He quickly took it and went to Sho's room. When he knocked, the door opened a few seconds later and Sho looked at him with twinkling eyes.

“You've forgotten your...,” Aiba began but Sho suddenly stepped out of his door, twirled around and while Aiba pressed his back at the wall, Sho had his hands to the right and left of Aiba's head.

“That was a really clever move you made there,” Sho said, his voice somehow a bit darker than usual. “Adjusting my schedule so that there will be time for a dinner with you guys,” Sho went on, his face pretty close to Aiba's.

It was then that Aiba realised that Sho had perfect lips. However, he pulled himself together. This was his chance.

“If you'll give me your schedule from next week, I'll find time for another dinner with us,” Aiba said teasingly, ignoring the heat that was radiating from Sho's body.

“I can give it to you on Sunday, so just come to my room,” Sho whispered into Aiba's ear before he moved away from him again and vanished into his room.

Breathing heavily because of the sudden closeness, Aiba pumped his fist. His victory was close. Whatever Sho's plan for the week would look like, he'd definitely find some time for their dinner. He wouldn't loose against a plan!

~ ~ ~

On Sunday Aiba woke up at six o'clock in the morning. He had been excited since Thursday because he never thought he'd be allowed into Sho's room that quickly.

Careful, to not wake Jun whom he had shared the bed with, he had slipped out of the room. According to Sho's shower plan, it was his time in the bathroom now, so Aiba knew that Sho was already up. He went to the kitchen to make some coffee and when he heard Sho leaving the bathroom, he gave him another ten minutes before he knocked on his door.

Sho opened it, wearing only his jogging pants. Aiba saw the defined abs and immediately got jealous. He had been training with the machine in his room every day for months but he didn't have such a gorgeous body like Sho (who also had muscles in other nice places as Aiba noticed).

Without thinking, Aiba reached out for Sho's abs and let his fingers run over them. He felt them contracting under his fingertips.

“How did you get them?”, Aiba asked and looked at Sho who had his lips pressed together.

“I do sit-ups every day,” Sho explained.

“But I do them every day too and my abs don't really show,” Aiba whined loudly and Sho put a finger on his lips.

“Shhh, you'll wake the others. Come in and then you can show me your abs,” Sho said and pulled Aiba into his room.

When the door was closed behind him, Aiba rolled his shirt up.

“Look, they're nearly invisible,” he complained.

Sho got on his knees to have a better look and reached out for Aiba's stomach.

“I can see them very well,” he remarked and poked into Aiba's stomach which made him giggle. “Just continue your training and I'm sure you'll get some nice abs soon,” Sho went on.

While having Sho inspecting his abs, Aiba had let his eyes wander around Sho's room. It wasn't as clean as he had expected. The room was filled with lots of shelves that contained books about several political topics. Aiba spotted lots of English books as well, but when his eyes reached the opened wardrobe, he forgot about his abs immediately, squealed and ran to the open furniture.

“You have the Limited Edition of this concert?”, he asked and reached out for the DVD.

Sho dashed towards his wardrobe and before Aiba could get a hold of the disc, he quickly closed the wardrobe, put himself in front of it, his eyes desperate.

“Please, don't tell anyone about what you've just seen,” Sho begged.

Aiba tilted his head in surprise. Sho seemed quite panicked but he couldn't really understand why.

“Why not? I like “Stormy LOVE” as well,” he told Sho who was still glued to his wardrobe.

“You do?” the newscaster asked and Aiba nodded enthusiastically. “But isn't it weird for men to like a boygroup?” Sho asked skeptically.

“I think anybody is allowed to like whoever they want,” Aiba replied and although he could still see some doubt in Sho's eyes, the other man finally stepped away from his wardrobe.

“Still, please don't tell the others,” Sho begged.

“Nino would probably mock you, but Ohno and Jun wouldn't say a word and in the end, Nino will probably get tired of it and would stop, but if you wish, I won't tell anybody,” Aiba assured Sho who sighed in relief.

“I am not ready for this yet,” he said and Aiba nodded. Then, he stared at the wardrobe again.

“But I really want to watch this Limited Edition...,” Aiba sighed, hoping that Sho would catch the hint – he did.

“We could watch it together,” he suggested and Aiba cheered while he hugged Sho tight.

“Next weekend Nino is visiting friends, Ohno is on a fishing trip and Jun is staying with his family. We can watch it then,” he began to plan and Sho nodded enthusiastically.

They began chatting about their favourite boyband, whom they liked best (Sho liked their Leader best and finally it made sense to Aiba why Sho was so fixated on this one news program. The Leader of “Stormy LOVE” appeared in it).

After a while, Aiba remembered why he actually came to Sho's room and demanded to be handed out his plan for the week so he could find time for their dinner. Laughing, Sho gave it to him, telling him that he was looking forward to another dinner with them.

Happy about the positive development and the fact that he finally found something he had in common with Sho and what they could talk about, Aiba asked Sho to accompany him to the kitchen to have some coffee. Sho agreed and they spent another nice hour in the kitchen before Sho had to go back to his room, back to his work.

~ ~ ~

The Limited Edition concert hadn't been the only one Sho and Aiba had watched the following weekend, nor had it been the only time they met to watch something from their favourite band. Whenever Sho and Aiba met in the flat, they would exchange some news about them with low voices, making the other flatmates wonder what on earth was going on between the two but Aiba and Sho enjoyed their secret too much to tell the others.

Sho was always showing up for dinner whenever Aiba had scheduled it and the other flatmates got used to Sho eating with them very quickly as well. Lately, Sho would also show up in the kitchen on other days, telling them that he had been able to finish his work earlier. Aiba didn't really believe him, but was happy that Sho wanted to spend time with all of them.

They four had quickly found out that Sho was a total fail when it came to cooking, so they had stopped asking him to help out and were always coming up with excuses whenever Sho offered his help. Therefore, Sho always sat at the kitchen table while the others rotated making dinner or helping out. Although Sho apologised every time, the others were more than fine with him staying seated.

Aiba loved these evenings when all of them were together. However, even if Sho wasn't there or if any of his other flatmates were away, Aiba never had to eat alone anymore. Also, due to the chatting at the dinner table his flatmates had found out that they shared a lot of similarities, hobbies or simply liked to talk with each other. They didn't just meet in the kitchen anymore, but also in the living-room or were invited to the rooms of each other.

Finally, it was as Aiba had imagined living in a shared house would be like. He loved his flatmates more than anything and he would never exchange them with anyone else. They had been a handful in the beginning, but now they were Aiba's friends and family and he couldn't imagine a life without them anymore.

~ ~ ~

It was one of those evenings when they sat together on the kitchen table. Ohno was preparing some fried rice while Jun was taking care of the beef. Aiba and Nino were busy cutting fruits for desert and Sho had been parked on his chair. He had started to peel apples but had cut himself. Jun had rushed to the bathroom to get a plaster and had wrapped it around Sho's finger. Now Sho was watching all of them while he talked about one of his most annoying co-workers.

Aiba was fidgeting on his seat, already earning himself a questioning look from Nino. He had something to tell his flatmates, but he wanted to wait until they were all eating.

He had to endure another thirty minutes until the dinner was ready but as soon as everybody had started eating, Aiba couldn't hold himself back anymore.

“At work, they are forming a baseball team to play against another branch of our company. They asked me to join and of course, I agreed,” he burst out.

His flatmates congratulated him for being chosen as a member of the team. However, this wasn't what Aiba had wanted to tell them.

“Actually,” he began, “we are still missing four people and I thought that maybe you would...”

“No!” Aiba was interrupted by Jun.

“I don't have time for that,” Sho explained.

“Playing baseball means going out into the fresh air,” Nino said and expected everybody so think of fresh air as disgusting, because he did.

“I'm not even interested in baseball,” Ohno remarked.

“I see,” was all that Aiba had to say about the refusal of his flatmates. However, in his head a plan was forming. He would get his flatmates to join that team sooner or later... he was Aiba afterall.


End file.
